Student Employment Opportunities
Hourly positions
Western Michigan University students with Federal Work-study are encouraged to apply. Some positions limit eligibility to students currently living on campus.
Desk receptionist apply online
The receptionist position works at a residence hall service desk evenings and weekends; hours vary based on the hall. Responsibilities include answering questions, checking out equipment and mail services. For this position, workers average 5 to 10 hours per week. Students with Federal Work-study are encouraged to apply. Preference is given to students who are living (or have lived) in the WMU residence halls and/or WMU on-campus apartments and have Federal Work-study. Students without a work study award but are currently (or will be) residing in the residence halls are also eligible.
Office manager apply online
This position addresses student needs Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the hall office, as well as assists the hall director. Administrative and organizational skills are required. Office managers work an average eight to 12 hours per week. To be eligible to apply, students must have attended WMU and lived in the WMU residence halls at least one semester. Students with Federal Work-study are encouraged to apply.
Moving crew apply online
This position works with facility projects, including moving furniture, lofting beds and organizing inventory. Heavy lifting is involved. Workers average 10 to 20 hours per week. Students with work-study are encouraged to apply. To be eligible to apply, students must have lived on campus at least one semester and have a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
Central Office Student Assistant apply online
This position works in the Housing and Residence Life main office. Responsibilities include monitoring phones, assisting students and parents, and providing support for various projects. COSAs work up to 20 hours per week. To be eligible to apply, students must have lived in campus housing at least one semester and had previous employment in the department.
Summer staff positions
Several summer positions are available, and they vary by responsibility and duration of employment. They include assisting with the medieval conference (two to three weeks), summer conferences (all summer), summer school (all summer) and orientation (six weeks). Applications are available in late January-early February.
WMU Apartments stairwell worker/student custodians
This position assists with keeping WMU Apartment complex stairwells clean and free of debris. Workers average 10 to 15 hours per week. Students with work-study are encouraged to apply. Only students living in the WMU Apartments are eligible for this position. Interested students should reply via email for more information.
Staff positions
Remuneration includes housing and a meal plan. To be eligible to apply, students must have lived in on-campus housing at least two semesters (includes the current semester) and meet a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.6.
Community assistant
Community assistants partner with resident assistants and building leadership to support learning communities and hall operations. Learning community support includes focused programming for the communities in the hall, meeting with students and working with community collaborators. Hall support includes working at the hall office and front desk, and serving on weekend and break duty rotations. There is one CA per building with a learning community. The CA position is equivalent to 20 hours per week. To be eligible to apply, students must have worked in a live-in housing staff position for at least one semester. The application process takes place in December and January for fall positions.
Resident assistant
Each residence hall floor has a resident assistant whose primary responsibility is to help shape a positive and safe residential experience for the 30-50 students on that floor. Responsibilities include assisting students, programming, community development, policy enforcement and attentiveness to residence hall safety and security, including working as part of a duty rotation in the hall. The RA position is equivalent to 20 hours per week. The application process takes place in October for spring positions, and late November through January for fall positions.
Resident manager
Each WMU Apartment complex has one to four resident managers. Responsibilities include assisting students, facility management, community development, policy enforcement and attentiveness to safety and security. The RM position is equivalent to 20 hours per week. Interviews take place in January for positions for the following academic year.
Application timelines
July, August
- Front desk, office manager applications
October
- Spring resident assistant applications
- Spring resident manager applications (if needed)
Late November/December through January
- Resident assistant, resident manager and community assistant applications
Late January/February
- Summer position applications